


Used to Know Me

by nagi_schwarz



Series: Foxtrot [39]
Category: Sisters (1991 TV), Stargate Atlantis, The Dollhouse - Fandom
Genre: Crossover, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-14
Updated: 2016-03-14
Packaged: 2018-05-26 14:20:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,338
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6242737
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nagi_schwarz/pseuds/nagi_schwarz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Written for the comment_fic prompt: Stargate Atlantis, John Sheppard/Nancy Sheppard, date night while they were still happily married. At the annual officers' ball, John Sheppard runs into a case of mistaken identity. Or is it?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Used to Know Me

Even though John had always hated formal balls and cotillions growing up, he took pride in attending the annual Officers' Ball. When he and Nancy were at Stanford and he was shunning his father's money, they'd had a lot of cheap dates – free movies in the park with leftovers from John's shift at the cafeteria or worse, ramen as their picnic meal; student dances and parties; the kind of charitable events Nancy patronized where the cover fee was a dented can of green beans. Now that he was an officer - just made captain - he was proud of his right to dress up and escort Nancy, also all dressed up, out for a fancy night. This year the ball was being held at a swanky hotel downtown, and according to Mitch's wife, the caterer the organizers had hired was top notch, award-winning and featured in some fancy cooking magazine (Mitch's wife was in culinary art school) and it was going to be a real high-class deal (Mitch, Dex, and John had all been threatened with sleeping on their respective couches if they brought their challenge coins with them or, worse, started a challenge). Dex's wife, who was a musician, had heard that a really great live swing band was going to be there as well. Dex wasn't the most graceful of dancers, but John had been raised a Sheppard, and he could foxtrot with the best of them, and he figured if he had to dance, he might as well dance to good music.  
  
When Nancy finally came downstairs, she was devastating in a black velvet gown with a heart-shaped neckline. Diamonds gleamed at her throat (not Mom's diamonds; those went to Dave's wife), and when he leaned in to kiss her, she smelled divine. He was almost tempted to cancel the cab he'd called, but then she pulled back and smiled at him, and as much as he wanted to peel her out of that dress so she was in nothing but the diamonds, he knew she'd been looking forward to this evening, and he wanted to show her a good time. She'd put up with so much, being forced to abandon job after job and sacrifice her career to follow him around to all his postings, and she deserved some recognition for her sacrifices. So the Officers' Ball it was.  
  
As soon as they arrived at the hotel, John realized why this year's shindig was so fancy. Apparently the Army had been invited as well. Some kind of goodwill gesture between the different branches of the armed forces. At least the Marines weren't there. Not to mention some of these guys were going to be boots on the ground with John when he, Mitch, and Dex finally shipped out to A-stan; it couldn't hurt to get on their good side.  
  
The ballroom was softly lit so everything gleamed in gold, and the tables were laden with fine china, sparking silverware, and pure crystal glasses, and John took a second to wince for the American taxpayers. Then a photographer was urging Nancy to stand closer to him so they could pose as a heroic and lovely couple, and John remembered to smile. He didn't care about looking heroic, but Nancy was lovely, and he wouldn't mind a memento of this evening. While Nancy headed off somewhere to powder her nose with Mitch and Dex's wives, John, Mitch, and Dex roamed the tables to find one that had enough seats for the six of them to sit together. Apparently someone had thought it would be great to make the Army and Air Force mix, so the seating was arranged for them to alternate with each other. After additional recon, they arranged it so the six of them were at the same table as three Army couples. John hoped that Whitsig and plus one, Ceccoli and plus one, and Granger and plus one were lively conversationalists.  
  
No one noticed that they'd rearranged some name cards, so they huddled together and confessed that they'd brought their challenge coins just so they wouldn't get caught flat-footed and wondered where their wives were.  
  
"There's probably a terrible line in the ladies' room," Dex said.  
  
But then Mitch nudged John and said, "I still don't know what the hell you did to deserve her."

John lifted his head, and there was Nancy, weaving through the crowd toward him, smiling. He felt his breath catch in his throat. She was so beautiful. "I straightened up and flew right," he said. He nudged Mitch back. "And anyways, keep your eyes to yourself. You have a fine wife of your own."  
  
Dex laughed. "Don't get me wrong, Nancy's smokin', but she's a lawyer. What were you thinking?"  
  
John had been the only one married when the three of them met in flight school, and at first they'd ribbed him for being a square, and then they saw pictures of Nancy, and they understood his devotion.  
  
"I trust her with my life," John said.  
  
Mitch and Dex fell silent. That kind of trust meant something different to a soldier, something deeper and stronger than a civilian could understand.  
  
Mitch said, "You're lucky, man."  
  
Nancy held out a hand, and John started toward her, and then a man said, "Brian!"  
  
Nancy's eyes went wide, and she was looking at something behind John. He turned instinctively.  
  
A kid in an Army uniform stood behind him. Whitsig, his nametag read. The woman on his arm was blonde, striking, looked old enough to be his mother. John hoped she was his mother, because Mitch and Dex were fine soldiers, but they weren't above making cougar jokes.  
  
"Brian," the kid said.  
  
John frowned. "I'm sorry," he said. "I think you have me mixed up with someone else."  
  
Whitsig's plus one looked like she'd seen a ghost. "Brian, it's me. Georgie."  
  
"Mom," the kid began.  
  
"My name is John, ma'am."  
  
She reared back like she'd been slapped.  
  
"John Sheppard," he said. He pointed to his own nametag helpfully.  
  
"John," Nancy said when she reached his side, "is everything all right?"  
  
"Just a case of mistaken identity," John said. He offered his hand. "Captain John Sheppard. This is my wife, Nancy. These are a couple of men from my unit, Mitch and Dex."  
  
The kid, Whitsig, shook his hand dazedly. "I'm Trevor Whitsig. This is my mother, Georgie Whitsig. I – it's uncanny. You look just like this guy my mom used to –"  
  
"Know," Mrs. Whitsig said. "From my grad program. Psychology. In Winnetka, Illinois."  
  
Dex laughed. "John's many things, but a psych student isn't one of them."  
  
"Maybe I just have one of those faces," John said apologetically. He was Patrick Sheppard's son, had been on the news more than he'd have liked when he was younger, and every now and then he caught someone studying him fixedly, like they were trying to remember where they'd seen him. The notion gave him a headache.  
  
"Are you related to the Kohler-Voss family?" Whitsig asked.  
  
"Not that I know of," John said. "But it looks like we're all sitting together, so why don't we enjoy some food and get to know each other a little better?"  
  
Just then, another Army kid - Ceccoli, his nametag said - ducked between them, replaced his name card with someone else's, and vanished. Dex's wife looked horrified, but Dex just shrugged. Mitch hid a grin.  
  
Nancy curled her fingers through John's. "Are you feeling all right?" She seemed to have a sixth sense for when he was coming down with a headache.  
  
"I'm fine," he said. He refused to ruin this night for her.  
  
"Do you want a treatment?" she asked.  
  
"Actually, that might not be such a bad idea." He kept his voice low.  
  
"All right. Let me go call a cab."  
  
Weeks later, in Afghanistan, John's memories of the rest of that night were blurry (challenge coins, a week on the couch) but he kept that photo of him and Nancy tucked into his vest. It was his good luck charm.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Used To Know Me (the Remix)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/6314416) by [nagi_schwarz](https://archiveofourown.org/users/nagi_schwarz/pseuds/nagi_schwarz)




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